By Paul Bianchina
A house fire is one of the most potentially devastating occurrences a homeowner can face. But now, thanks to advancements in both cost and appearance, installing a residential fire sprinkler system has become a viable option - one that can greatly reduce the potential impact of a fire on both occupants and personal property.
While fire sprinkler systems have been around since the 1880s for commercial and industrial applications, it has only been since the early 1980s that they began to gain popularity for residential use. Improved technology, better materials, and more attractive, more affordable installations have all contributed to a much more widespread acceptance of these life- and property-saving systems.
Design and installation of sprinkler systems falls under the purview of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). Section 13 of the association's standards covers commercial sprinkler applications, and, as the popularity of residential systems has grown, the NFPA has also established a simplified set of standards for home sprinklers.
Known as "13D systems" - after the section number of the revised NFPA standards - these are the most common of the residential systems, and because of their less stringent installation requirements, they are also the most affordable.
How Do They Work?
A residential fire sprinkler system is simply a series of pipes tied into your home's domestic water system. Spaced throughout the home - their location depends on the specific design and layout of the house - are heat-activated sprinkler heads placed either in the ceiling or high on the walls. The heads typically have either a small solder link or a glass tube inside, and when temperatures inside the house rise to approximately 165 degrees, the solder will melt or the glass will shatter, activating the sprinkler head.
An individual head releases approximately 13 to 24 gallons of water per minute, and contrary to popular belief, the heads are not designed to all go off simultaneously - only the ones in the path of the fire that are heated to the activation point will open and spray water.
In order to work properly, a residential sprinkler system needs to have an adequate supply of water that is delivered at an adequate pressure. Most houses that are served by a municipal water system will have plenty of both, but if your water supply comes from another source and you have concerns about either the capacity or the pressure, you can easily augment your system through the installation of a simple storage tank and pump system. According to NFPA standards, the tank needs to be large enough to hold a 10-minute supply of water for the system - somewhere around 275 to 350 gallons, depending on the system - and the pump would be sized to meet the specific pressure requirements.
Cost and Appearance
One common misconception about a residential system is that it's too expensive to be practical. However, given the modified NFPA standards and the rise in popularity of these systems, prices have become very affordable. A typical system, completely installed by a professional contractor, runs in the neighborhood of $1.00 per square foot of living space if installed when the house is being built (retrofits are somewhat higher). And, depending on the insurance company, part of the installation cost may be offset through savings in your homeowner's insurance premiums.
For many people, their perception of the appearance of the system is more of a detriment than its cost. Visions of big silver sprinkler heads dangling at the ends of pipes over grandma's antique dining room table is enough to dissuade even the most safety-conscious of homeowners. Sprinkler manufacturers are well aware of this concern, and advances in sprinkler technology have given rise to a whole new generation of heads that blend into your home's décor with surprising effectiveness.
Your dealer can now show you a wide range of heads with very low profiles, many of which have covers that allow them to virtually disappear against the ceiling or wall (the covers are blown off if the sprinkler discharges). Individual heads are also sized to the rooms they serve, allowing for the use of small, less obtrusive heads in some areas.
Residential sprinkler systems should be installed by an experienced, licensed installation contractor, and needs to meet NFPA standards as well as all local building codes.
Copyright 2002-2006 Inman News Features. Distributed by Inman News Features.
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